A federal judge in Kentucky struck down the Biden administration’s effort to expand Title IX protections to include gender identity, ruling the regulation exceeded the Education Department’s authority and violated the First Amendment. [The Associated Press]
Why it matters: The ruling halts a policy that sought to safeguard LGBTQ+ and pregnant students from discrimination while reversing Trump-era guidelines on sexual misconduct in schools. The decision could reshape civil rights protections under the incoming Trump administration. [Fox News]
The big picture:
- The Biden rule, effective since August 2024, defined sex-based discrimination to include gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy-related conditions.
- States like Tennessee and Kentucky sued, arguing the rule conflicted with state bans on transgender participation in women’s sports and infringed on free speech by compelling pronoun use.
- Judge Danny Reeves deemed the rule “arbitrary and capricious” and outside the scope of Title IX.
What’s next: Civil rights advocates are preparing legal challenges, while Republican lawmakers push legislation to codify Title IX as applying only to sex assigned at birth. President Trump has pledged to roll back any remaining protections tied to Biden’s rule.
